Katzenblut's Laras v. Grafental - Page 1

My 6 mo old female just got back her prelim report from OFA: severe dysplasia!  I have  had her spayed . She is by Laras von  Grafental out of Katenblut's Blazing Trail,  from Katenblut kennels (Shirley Lucas) ,  in Ft Myers FL. On her web page she lists him as OFA, but he is NOT, after a search on the OFA site.  I am pissed!  I can't reach her by phone or email and I don't have a hip guarantee.  Another newbie got screwed..... 

Leftbarrrelsam,

I know that sometimes the information on this site can be changed or is not accurate, but Laras shows to be HD-fast normal. I think that they have to have passing hip exrays to be Korklassed. Remember that puppies are a gamble and parents having passed their OFA's is never a guarantee that their puppy won't have hip dysplasia.  There are many reasons why a pup will be dysplastic such as  feeding poor quality food, being overweight, environment, etc. With all the talk on this forum about buyers getting screwed buy breeders, why would you purchase a puppy without a guarantee? If  Ms. Lucas does not offer a guarantee then you should have looked elsewhere. I am very sorry that you are having to go thru this, but sometimes we learn by our mistakes, as unfortunate as that is. Good luck with your girl, and hopefully she have a long decent quality of life without much pain.

Respectfully,

Debbie

You can't be that much of a newbie if you had the good sense to spay her....good for you :-) 

You're way ahead of the game already.

Sorry to hear about her hips though, is she getting around ok?

I agree, puppies are a crap shoot and no breeder can guarantee 100% against hip dyslpasia.  I do see where they say Laras has been OFA'ed.:  http://www.katzenblut.com/studservicelist.htm

I'm sorry about your dog, but am not sure you were screwed by the breeder.  You have learned a lesson the very hardest way.   The only way to stack the deck in your favor is to do the homework & go to a reputable breeder.

I'm inclined to side with LBS on this one, only because my own experience with how that breeder handles newbies.  I hate to see breeders throw together slick web sites and spout a bunch of copy-and-paste dog knowledge from the internet, and then persude newbies that they are getting a quality product.  To me it's unethical, even if it's not illegal. 

LBS, I'm sorry you get suckered in my her, but now the only direction to go is forward.  If you find some good dog folks and get an overview of the basics, then you'll be in a better position to see through the smoke-and-mirrors act that some unethical breeders use.

You can contact me privately if you want.  My email should be attached to my user ID.

Yvette

Thanks Yvette!  So, how do I go about finding good dog folks and learning the basics?  I am located in north central Florida.

LBS, for a start, check for SchH clubs in your area.  Florida has a few.  There are three different organizations you can search on-line for a directory of clubs:

United Schutzhund Clubs of America

GSDCA-WDA  (German Shepherd Dog Club of America - Working Dog Association)

DVG

Sorry I don't know the links but you should be able to pick them with a Google search.  Even if you're not interested in doing Schutzhund yourself, the folks at these clubs should be able to steer you towards some good breeders.  I hope that you'll find friendly people in the clubs who would be willing to discuss their own dogs strengths and shortcomings, and help you figure out what bloodlines will work for you.

There are no "perfect" breeders just as there are no perfect dogs.  However, you should at least be able to find a breeder who offers you a written guarantee for major genetic defects. 

Of course, a lot of SchH folks are willing to go long distances for the dogs they want, whether travelling, having a dog shipped from overseas, etc.  So, don't be disappointed that if you find no quality dogs that originated in Florida at the club that you visit.  Heck I drove 10 hours, one way, to check out a dog.  Decided it didn't suit me and drove 10 hours back. 

Best wishes!

Yvette

LBS, I am sorry for your disappointment.  May I ask when you purchased your bitch, how old was she? What did you tell the breeder that you were looking for - a pet/companion; a sport dogs, a breeding quality dog or a show dog? What did you tell her you were going to do with the dog?

Also did you ask to see the OFA certs on the parents? Did you ask about the hip status of other relatives ( siblings and grandparents and greatgrandparents etc)?

6 mo is a bit young for a prelim - was there a reason you chose to do it now - was/is the dog symptomatic?

Finally what do you intend to do with the dog now?

Prelims can be done as early as 4 months. 

There is a good DVG club there in Ft. Myers you can check out.

Was it a Katzenblut dog that gave such a bad bite to someone's arm? I'm thinking of a thread recently and the person had a picture of the scar? Or am I mistaken?